Frontier Tech Founders Secure Funding to Address Critical Healthcare Disparities

Entrepreneurs from across Africa and Asia have been selected for the inaugural cohort of UNICEF Femtech Ventures, a five-year investment platform aimed at closing gender health gaps through innovation. The program provides equity-free capital, mentorship, and technical assistance to startups applying cutting-edge technologies like AI, data science, and blockchain.

The initiative, backed by the Government of Sweden and Temasek Foundation, seeks to address persistent inequalities in access to quality healthcare, trusted information, safe mobility, and economic opportunities for millions of girls and women globally. The inaugural cohort comprises 12 startups selected from over 1,100 applications representing 85 countries – with more than half originating from Africa.

“The most important innovation for women and girls is already being built – by the entrepreneurs closest to these challenges,” said Thomas Davin, global director at UNICEF’s Office of Innovation. “UNICEF Femtech Ventures provides the resources they need to scale solutions that work locally into impact at a national or regional level.”

Meet the First Cohort

The African startups in this year’s cohort include:

• Dotoh (Benin): E-health platform providing remote consultations and health information
• SafeRide by Esheria (Kenya): Safe mobility service connecting women with vetted drivers
• HLlama by Umbaji (Togo): Maternal health chatbot offering personalized support
• Feel by Luna (Tunisia): Digital wellness service addressing emotional health needs
• DawaMom by Dawa Health (Burkina Faso): Chatbot providing maternal and newborn care guidance
• YouthShield by Kairos (Burkina Faso): Social media monitoring tool detecting and responding to gender-based violence

Each startup will receive up to $100,000 in funding alongside a year of tailored support to refine their solutions. UNICEF plans to share progress updates from this cohort before launching the second application call in Q4.

The initiative reflects a growing recognition that technology can play a crucial role in addressing persistent gender health inequities – particularly when entrepreneurs from affected communities are empowered to lead these efforts.